What happens when you create a website where anyone can upload anything? …

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You may already know all about YouTube. Founded a year ago, YouTube has become a prime online destination for streaming video entertainment. It has also become a prime destination for copyright infringement, as many of the videos uploaded are video captures of copyrighted material originally shown on television. This makes the copyright holders upset from time to time, and they start sending threatening letters. NBC demanded that YouTube stop hosting "Lazy Sunday," a rap video spoof done by Saturday Night Live's Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg. The clip originally aired in December, but it a was captured and uploaded to YouTube without NBC's authorization. It was an online hit.

Within the halls of the Temple of Web 2.0, YouTube is a victim. It has been argued that the people-powered nature of the site should lead copyright holders to realize YouTube's promotional potential. But as a company that's being built for acquisition (few, I doubt, believe otherwise), idealism isn't enough to convince deep pockets. What exactly is YouTube's business model? If Jason Calacanis is to be believed, YouTube isn't even a "real business," but a "silly, little business that anyone could setup in a week." It's built on piracy, he argues, and that's not a business model.

Without a doubt, the copyright infringement problem at YouTube is significant, and the company is trying to address it. This week they have announced a new "Premium Content Program" aimed at reducing the amount of pirated material on their site. The program creates a new level of membership that is required for users who wish to post video that are longer than 10 minutes in length.

"[I]f you've followed our blog postings or any of the press articles, you know we're constantly trying to balance the rights of copyright owners with the rights of our users," the company said in a statement. "We did some analysis of the videos in our system over 10 minutes in length, and we found the overwhelming majority of them were full length, copyrighted videos from tv shows and movies. However, we also recognize that there are legit content creators out there who may have videos over 10 mins, so we've created a Premium Content Program for those of you with professional-produced videos."

Clearly the hope is that the 10-minute limitation will result in most TV shows and other longer programs staying off of YouTube. Will the free-wheelin' copyright infringement come to a close? It's doubtful, because a 10 minute limitation doesn't really stop people from uploading unauthorized content. After all, Napoleon Dynamite is 82 minutes long, and YouTube is packed with ripped scenes and satires, a good portion of which are not examples of fair use. But now, YouTube is giving it the old college try. The popularity of the site doesn't hinge on the portion of its contents that derive from infringement, but a YouTube sans TV and movie clips is a different YouTube than some of its users are used to.

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Ken Fisher
Ken is the founder & Editor-in-Chief of Ars Technica. A veteran of the IT industry and a scholar of antiquity, Ken studies the emergence of intellectual property regimes and their effects on culture and innovation. Emailken@arstechnica.com//Twitter@kenfisher